Product Description

Featuring select content from Zondervan's top Study Bibles The NIV Lenses Bible is a multifaceted study Bible that offers the best of Zondervan's best. With a wide variety of notes, illustrations, and articles, explore the Bible from an exciting array of angles and approaches. Each "lens"—or study method—offers a different perspective on the text, and together they provide readers with a more holistic understanding.This edition includes the entire NIV Bible text with the world's best notes for learning. It incorporates the finest content, images, and study tools from the most popular Bibles that are loved and used by Bible readers just like you. Lens Features:

Flyover LensStart each book of the Bible with the right perspective from easy-to-read introductions from the popular Essential Bible Companion.

Publisher's Description

The NIV Essentials Study Bible helps you quickly and easily understand, interpret, and apply Gods Word to your life. The variety of features in this Bible presents a multifaceted, exciting format for studying Scripture. There are many different ways to explore Gods Word: question-and-answer studies; detailed in-text study notes; timelines, photos and charts; helpful devotional insights; and profiles of Bible characters. Now you dont have to choose, because the NIV Essentials Study Bible provides you the chance to explore the Bible using all these study methods and more. With each of these lenses included in one Bible, you will discover how to best understand the essentials of Scripture.This edition includes the entire NIV Bible text with the worlds best notes for learning. It incorporates the finest content, images, and study tools from the most popular Bibles that are loved and used by Bible readers just like you. It features:* Flyover Lens: Start each book of the Bible with the right perspective from easy-to-read introductions from the popular Essential Bible Companion.* Unpack Lens: Easily understand and interpret Bible passages with bottom-of-the page study notes and in-text charts from the best-in-class NIV Study Bible.* Dig Deep, Look Close Lens: Understand the fascinating historical significance of the Bible with articles and photos from the bestselling NIV Archaeological Study Bible.* Q and A Lens: Get concise, easy-to-grasp answers to your most perplexing questions about the Bible with questions and answers from the beloved NIV Quest Study Bible.* People Lens: View Scripture from the perspective of the 100 most important people in the Bible with notes for the student of any age excerpted from the timeless NIV Student Bible.* Guided Tour Lens: Get a birds eyes view of Scripture with a Guided Tour, also excerpted from the category-leading NIV Student Bible.* Insight Lens: Find meaning in the Bible by reading these magazine-style call-outs from the NIV Student Bible.* R and R Lens: Reflect and Respond with this quick inspirational focus time, which unveils the sweeping narrative of the Bible as seen in the award-winning The Great Rescue, NIV.

This Bible, the NIV Essentials Study Bible is jam packed! It has over 1700 pages, Reading Plans, Subject Index, a place for Notes and there are 15 colorful maps in the back! I've never had a Bible like this before where parts of other Bibles are put into 1 Bible. It's incredible and I know that a lot of work went into compiling all of this together. I really love the photographs, charts, highlights, maps and lens. They updated the NIV version from the 1984 one, there was another update in 1996 and the lastest update was in 2011. This latest one refers to men and women equally. They moved away from using the third person masculine singular pronouns like 'he/him/his'. I do like that it includes 'women' in there now where as up until recently, it didn't have this. With human effort, there are going to be flaws and they try their best translating and give God the glory. Truly an incredible Bible and it would make a great investment in your life! It would also make a great gift for for a loved one who dearly treasures His Word!

I love collecting Bibles. Not so they can sit on my shelf, but to have a useful tool in studying God's Word. Study Bibles are my particular favorite.

Zondervan has released the NIV Essentials Study Bible which actually compiles bits from previous Bibles they've published; the NIV Study Bible, Archeological Bible, Student Bible to name a couple. In the past, I have used all three of these so I was interested to see how they would compile them into one Bible that wasn't approximately the size of a suitcase.

Why does the book exist?

I ask the same questions of this Bible that I ask of the NIV Fast Facts Bible: Given the proliferation of Bibles available what's the justification for printing yet another Bible, especially one that compiles previously published Bibles? Since it compiles previously published Bibles does it end up being basically the "demo" version of those Bibles?

The purpose of the Essentials Bible is to use the elements from those previous publications as "lenses" that bring you closer and closer to the text. It doesn't have every element from every version, so in that sense it is a stripped down demo. However, there's still a lot here and it works as an introductory study Bible that can keep you digging for quite awhile.

Translation

The Essentials Bible uses the NIV 2011 text. While I'm not qualified to speak to the accuracy of translations I can tell you that the NIV 2011 has been highly criticized. Entire denominations (Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, Southern Baptist Convention) that have used the NIV for years have turned away from the NIV 2011 in favor of the ESV 2011.

Study Aids

Book introductions / Study notes / Maps

These are the basics for a study Bible. The notes are not as exhaustive in this edition as they are in the NIV Study Bible, or the ESV Study Bible. That can be a challenge because its frustrating to look up a verse and then go to check the notes only to find there's no note on that verse. It'll happen more in this edition.

Character Profiles

This was my favorite part of the student Bible. Sometimes the characters of the Bible can feel two dimensional. The profiles help show that they were, in fact, real people.

Dig Deep

This is the archeology lens; pun intended I presume. These really do help even though they are sparse. Seeing the Bible tied in with the culture and history of the time really helps put it in perspective.

Q&A

There's quite a few of these where they answer some of those common questions and even some of the not so common. Remember, these answers while based on scripture are still commentary and not scripture. They are meant to help you study, not end the study.

Insights / Guided Tour

These are short "life application" style pieces meant to illuminate the text. Each one ends with a life question.

Reflect & Respond

R&R's are short devotionals broken into four parts; read, think, live, and next level.

Wrap Up

Overall, there's a lot to like about the NIV Essentials Study Bible and it's priced competitively at $50. It's just that NIV 2011 translation that is problematic. My suggestion is, if you get this Bible, get a text only copy of the ESV, or have an ESV on your digital device and keep it handy while you study. It's always good use multiple translations when you study anyway, no matter the translation. The added value pieces really do add value.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

The NIV Essentials Study Bible is a great resource when you are involved in Bible study.

There seems to be more emphasis in this book on the tools to help with your study than the actual scripture. The words of the Bible are there but there is also a lot of information to help with your study of the Bible.

I received this book to review in an electronic format. This is a great form when you are unable to travel with your Bible. But I prefer a hard copy for my daily study needs.

I received this book from Zondervan in exchange for my unbiased review

I purchased the ebook version and I was very disappointed. The ereader is very hard to navigate and not user friendly. I purchased the paper version of this bible for a friend and was impressed with all the notes and details. I will be trying to return this item and see about going back to using paper.